The legendary first album Whatever presented a Doughboys that had a definite hardcore punk edge, instead of the hard rock sheen they later adopted for their breakthrough album, Crush. There are definitely glimpses of the band's keen knack for melody here, but the tempo is generally cranked too high to sustain it for any length of time. A few of the tracks are absolutely wonderful, though, like the turbocharged "You're Related and the more melodic "I Remember." After original label Cargo went out of business, the band reissued it on their own Spahn Ranch label.

Unlike Vladimir Horowitz, who generally only ever recorded for RCA Victor or Columbia, pianist Shura Cherkassky, sometimes called "The Last of the Great Piano Romantics" in his later years, left a grab bag legacy of recordings ranging from his 78 rpm 1929 HMVs to his final Nimbus Records releases and live recitals, recorded by UK Decca, in the 1980s and '90s. This First Hand Remasters issue, Shura Cherkassky: The Complete HMV Stereo Recordings, collects a specific part of that legacy into a single package. It is not appropriate to refer to it as a reissue as these recordings date between 1956 and 1958 and though made entirely in stereo, the stereo LP itself did not make its bow until the very end of that timeline; even afterward, EMI observed a policy of issuing most of its recordings in mono only. So very little of this material appeared on stereo even on LPs, and very little of it has appeared on CD. From the standpoint of a package, this First Hand Remasters release is everything it should be; the two-disc set is fully documented and comes with good writing and a decent-sized book, which is tempered nevertheless by practical economics. It's overall run time of just under two hours may strike some as a little stingy, but that naturally is dictated by the material itself. The recordings, taken from the first generation stereo masters in the EMI vaults, are excellent though very occasionally some flutter is audible.The program is very wide ranging and reflects Cherkassky's interests, running from Chopin at one end to George Gershwin and some selections from Abram Chasins' rarely recorded music at the other. About the only issue with this recording might be a subjective one; despite the "Last of the Great Piano Romantics" tag, Cherkassky's playing here is always very clean, straightforward, and well-balanced and he never goes out on a limb in terms of expression. The annotators conclude that this period represents Cherkassky's best work, and it may, but those familiar with his late recordings will note that there are far more instances of risk-taking in that body of work than here. Nevertheless, Cherkassky's fan base will definitely take interest in this, as it provides so much elusive material on this pianist in better sound than ever before, not to mention being generally well done and well worth its value.

"Buben" means, basically, "mischievous lad," and that's what Carl is plus one more in Reichel. These wild rhythmic games, played on concertina, accordion, daxophone, and violin, are based in strange traditions -- those of Irish and English traditional music, and those of South African jive music, though God knows how. The concertina was invented simply because it would sound good when paired with the violin. There are hints of spooky melodies that come out of the ether of time itself, expired songs from forgotten times and irreverent baudy hymns that belong only in the hallways of free improvisation. The daxophone complements these other instruments beautifully because it is not reigned in by tonality.

The sections are to be divided by even and odd numbers, and that may have indeed been a strategy employed by Carl and Reichel, but it hardly matters. This is free improvising that leans heavily on the structure of song for its musicality, but nothing here could be called a song in any sense of the word. Perhaps this is what makes Buben...Plus such a joy; the goodwill and wildly inventive expression inherent in these pieces are positively infectious. Both men had a rowdy time playing together -- as Reichel and Carl usually do ---but this is perhaps the weirdest and yet most accessible collaboration they've released to date.